I clicker trained Tara to walk on the treadmill. I shaped it by first having her interact with the treadmill while it was off, then run across it like a dog walk in agility (still off), then turn it on to condition her to the noise. Finally, started click/treating for paw touches while it was on and then got her to jump up and run across it. In the beginning I didn't care if she bailed off the front or sides since she was still getting used to it. I kept the speed very slow in the beginning to let her get used to it and only very slowly increased.

She got to the point in this video in maybe 3 sessions of 5-10 minutes, but I think I should have gone a little slower with her.

A few tips that I had sent to some folks while we were training...
- Before the dog tries to get on while the treadmill is moving, make sure he/she will get on while it is still. Dogs will probably be more comfortable if they can walk across the treadmill while it’s stationary before trying it moving.

- This treadmill is relatively quiet, but it is a good idea to make sure the sound isn’t an issue before trying to get the dog on the treadmill.

- 0.5 is the lowest speed this treadmill will go and a nice slow starting speed.

- If you train with food/toys (and even if you don’t normally but want to for this), either would make for a good lure to keep the dog’s head forward and body centered on the treadmill, so using their favorite toy, dinner or lots of small soft treats is a good idea. I actually used baby food to give something to Tara to just take a lick every now and then. I found that she had the most trouble when she would walk like a drunk person and veer from side to side and put her paws on the stationary part, so keeping her centered was important.

- Just learning to walk on the treadmill was exhausting for Tara, so go slow and give them plenty of breaks.

ETA - I think there is a thread somewhere with more info and details, if I can find it I'll come back and post it later.

I've never seen a human treadmill long enough for my dog to use. I think our belt is 68" and it still isn't long enough for him to do more than a slow walk. Any faster and his feet fall off the back.

One thing you have to watch out for with treadmills is that when a dog is exercising it stimulates their bowels. Don't be surprised when your dog squats mid-stride and drops some poops on your treadmill, which get flung off the back of the belt .

One thing you have to watch out for with treadmills is that when a dog is exercising it stimulates their bowels. Don't be surprised when your dog squats mid-stride and drops some poops on your treadmill, which get flung off the back of the belt .

HA! I can definitely vouch for that.

I learned very quickly to make sure the dog has already done his/her business prior to going on the treadmill.

I have not done it because of the length concern but I sure would like to. I can walk the dog on my own and I need the excercise and he can chase balls but I want him on a stready trot and he is a long dog and really racks out when he moves.

Got a used scooter to try road work but it won't pull the hills in the neighborhood [even a bike would be a challenge for that]

We have a large size JogaDog and Hans uses just about all the space on the belt. I like having the gait bar and the railings, too.
People think this is over the top, but I tell them the treadmill is for me.
It came in handy when I was sick or could not leave the house, or it was so hot or rainy that it was not feasible to go walking.
This was yesterday. He did a total of 90 minutes, one session am and one pm.

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the German Shepherd Dog Forums forums, you must first register.
Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

Log-in

User Name

Remember Me?

Password

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.